BENGALURU: A 22-year-old engineering student flying on an IndiGo flight from Kolkata was booked on charges that he removed the cover on the emergency door of the aircraft minutes before the plane was to land, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.
The student, Kaushik Karan, was formally placed under arrest by the Bengaluru International Airport Police and released on bail. He has been booked under Section 336 of the Indian Penal Code relating to any act that endangers the life or personal safety of others. He can be sentenced to a maximum of three months in prison if convicted.
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Police said the incident took place on April 29 on board IndiGo flight 6E-6314, which departed from Kolkata at 8:15pm. According to a complaint filed by the airline, Karan, a resident of West Bengal’s Bankura district, was allotted seat number 18E but requested a change. He was finally assigned seat number 18F, next to the emergency exit door.
According to the complaint, Karan allegedly removed the cover over the handle of the emergency door on the starboard side, or the right side, of the aircraft. This flap covers the handle and protects it from being unintentionally operated. A Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) official said the cabin crew immediately intervened and ensured the aircraft’s safety.
Karan was handed over to the IndiGo security personnel and CISF officials by the cabin crew. He was transferred to the custody of the police at Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru past midnight. IndiGo staffer Mohammad Umar lodged a formal complaint with the KIA police.
“Followed by the complaint of Indigo staff, airport police registered a case under Section 336 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) 1860, which pertains to endangering the life or personal safety of others through rash or negligent acts’’ North-east deputy commissioner of police Lakshmi Prasad said.
